Attenuation Flashcards
What is attenuation?
The weakening of the sound beam as it travels
Is attenuation good or bad? Why is it important?
It is both pos and neg.
1) Limits our imaging depth (neg)
2) Must be compensated for (neg)
3) Can be useful in diagnostics (pos)
What is used to compensate for attenuation?
TGC’s and 2D Gain
What does TGC’s stand for?
Time Gain Adding Compensation
How is attenuation useful in diagnosis?
An increase in attenuation (shadow) behind a mass indicates that the mass is solid or stone. A cystic mass (fluid filled) would show a lack of attenuation (acoustic enhancement/through transmission/brightness) behind the structure.
What are the relative units of attenuation?
bel (B) and the decibel (dB)
What do bels and decibels express?
The loudness (intensity level) of soundwaves
1 bel = ?
10 decibels
How is the power of the sound leaving the transducer determined?
Instrument output using decibels
What is dynamic range?
A button on the machine controlling the amount of contrast.
More shades of grey & less contrast vs. Fewer shades of grey and more contrast.
How does dynamic range work?
Dynamic range uses decibels to express the number of shades of grey displayed on the monitor.
How do gain and TGC’s work?
They use decibels to express the amount of amplification required to optimize the returning echos.
What is the formula to calculate bels?
Bel = log(New I/original I)
What is the formula to calculate decibels?
dB = 10log(new I/original I)
What is the formula to calculate power?
dB = 10 log(new p/original p)
What is the formula to calculate voltage?
dB = 20log(new v/original v)
What is the trick for remembering the formulas for calculating intensity(bels + decibels), power and voltage?
Same formula but:
Bel = log
Decibel = 10log
Power = 10log
Voltage = 20log
What is the “rule of thumb” when dealing with decibels?
A 3dB drop = 1/2 the original intensity
A 10 dB drop = 0.1 of the original intensity
In a question calculating attenuation, is the “output” value the ‘new’ or ‘original’ value?
Output = New
Input = Original
Practice Intensity/power/voltage calculations using logs
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What is an ‘attenuation coefficient’?
The amount of attenuation that occurs with one centimeter travelled.
What is the amount of attenuation in soft tissue for every centimeter travelled per 1 MHz?
0.5 dB per 1 MHz
What is the attenuation coefficient in soft tissue?
1/2 frequency
What is the formula for total attenuation?
TA = Attenuation Coefficient x path length (cm)
What is the formula for total attenuation in soft tissue?
TA = 1/2f x Path Length (cm)
When doing calculations for “back at the probe” what do we need to be careful of?
Depth
“Back at the probe” means the total trip there and back, if the depth into the soft tissue is given it must be doubled in the equation to account for the trip there and back.
When doing calculations where we are plugging in a found value for total attenuation (in decibels) what must we remember?
That the total attenuation value will be a NEGATIVE number, because attenuation is a loss.
To get rid of a log on one side of the equation?
Anti log the other side
2nd Function Log
What is half-value layer?
The distance sound must travel in a material to reduce intensity to half it’s original value.
What is half the original intensity equal to in decibels?
3 dB loss
What is the half value layer for air? (At 4 diff frequencies)
1 MHz = .25
2 MHz = .06
5 MHz = 0.01
10 MHz = 0
What 3 factors vary attenuation?
1) Nature of the tissue (Dead or alive)
2) Frequency of the ultrasound
3) Depth
What are the 5 reason attenuation occurs?
1) Absorption
2) Reflection
3) Refraction
4) Scatter
5) Wave-front Divergence
What is absorption?
The conversion of sound energy to heat (vibration from friction)
What is the dominant factor in attenuation?
Absorption
What is the number one reason of attenuation and what is the percentage?
Absorption accounts for 80% of attenuation.
What are the three factors effecting absorption?
1) Viscosity
2) Relaxation time on molecules
3) Frequency
What is Viscosity?
The easy in which molecules can slide past eachother (how well a liquid pours).
What happens with increased viscosity?
Increased viscosity means greater resistance which creates more friction and therefore increased attenuation.
What is friction?
How sound energy is converted to heat.
What happens when a mechanical force is applied to a molecule?
It vibrates
What is relaxation time?
When a mechanical force is applied to a molecule it will vibrate, the time is takes for the molecule to come to rest is called “relaxation time”.
What happens if a molecule doesn’t come to rest before the next compression phase?
More energy is required to reverse it’s direction, producing more heat.
Ex. Think of pushing a person on a swing as they are swinging towards you Vs. If they are not moving.